northern lights

Friday, 31 January 2014

My siblings and I grew up in her lap. She gave us love, she also scolded us. The food that she cooked was sumptuous and very tasty. She felt the pain when any one of her children fell ill. She nursed us and kept awake on nights when any one of us fell ill. When we studied for our exams till midnight, she also kept awake. She made coffee for us. I was the eldest of the five children of our parents. I and my sister, younger to me by two years, were like friends. Both of us resembled our father, who was bulky and had a short height. My mother was slim, fair and tall. When we were in our late teens, and some strangers saw three of us together, they invariably asked our mom, whether we were her sister's-in-laws. Then only we became aware of her beautiful face and personality. She was always well dressed and looked very graceful. When my sister and I got married, everybody remarked that mom did not look like a mother-in-law. She was also a very young grand mother. Not only by her family alone, but also by relatives and friends, she was highly respected.She lived a long and meaningful life. When she died, her face looked graceful and charming. Even in her death she looked so beautiful. Not only her face, but her pure and beautiful inner self reflected on her whole being I am reminded of another lady who met my mother after my marriage. She was my mother-in-law. The two had never met before. Born and brought up in Kerala, she had never visited North India. On her first visit to Delhi, when both of them were sitting together, everybody remarked that they looked like sisters. The same fair complexion, tall and slim body, a graceful and towering personality, was particularly noticed by every one. She also looked as beautiful as my mother. Both of them left a legacy, of being kind, generous and large hearted for the next generation.This is a tribute to both great women in my life.

Written in response to Write Tribe Wednesday Prompt 2014 #5 She looked most beautiful,

Haiku Heights #319 - Useless

Sunday, 26 January 2014

Minu and Ashok always quarrelled. They decided to split. Ashok went to live with his friend, Tina. He called Minu to leave the house. She had a hearty meal of prawns and sherry. She pushed the prawn shells in the curtain rods and left. Ashok and Tina moved in. The house smelt rot. Every corner was cleaned but nothing was found. The smell became unbearable. They decided to sell it, but there were no buyers. Minu approached them and bought it at half rate. They left lock,stock and barrel, including the curtain rods. Minu had the last laugh.Written in response to Write Tribe prompt 100 words on Saturday # 4 She had the last laugh.

Friday, 24 January 2014

Divya and Sonal were fast friends They studied in the same class in school. Both of them studied in the same college but they were not in the same class. Whereas Divya had opted for Political Science, Sonal chose Economics. But they were good friends. After they completed their graduation they got a job in the same firm. Both of them were working in the planning Department of a large firm.. They were inseparable. Every one in the office called them 'hanson ka joda.'( A pair of swans) Sandeep was a handsome young boy.Any girl would consider herself fortunate to have such a handsome husband. Many girls were after him. He also enjoyed this attention. He was Sonal's neighbour. Many times he made advances towards Sonal, but she never responded. Sonal never knew that her closest friend, Divya and Sandeep were in love. In spite of the fact that they were very good friends, Divya kept this as a secret. Their friendship developed when Divya used to visit Sonal's house. She met Sandeep ,when they were children. When they grew up their friendship took the form of love. He gave her lift in his car quite often. In fact Sandeep told Divya not to confide in Sonal about their friendship.Sandeep's father had a flourishing business in Dubai. After he finished his education ,his father sent him to Dubai. Divya told him that they should get married before he went to Dubai. But he said that he had not told his parents about her. He promised that soon he would disclose his love to them. Divya was disappointed. She was not her usual self. Sonal noticed the change in her friend's behaviour. On her persistent questioning Divya told her about Sandeep. She was shocked to her this. She asked Divya why she hid this from her. Sonal told her that Sandeep was not a good boy. She told Divya was not his only friend. There were many more with whom he was flirting. Divya was broken hearted. Days changed into months and months into years. Sandeep's calls, and sms messages also stopped. Even when she sent one he did not reciprocate. One day Sonal gave her a bomb shell. She asked Divya,"How do you like Mr. Rajat Mathur?". Divya said,"What ,are you talking about the boss?/" "Of course yes. He is in love with you". Divya retorted, "How can you say all this! So many girls in the office are charmed by this tall , dark and handsome man." Sonal told her," The girls may be after him, but he is madly in love with you. Sometimesthe heart sees what the eyes cannot.I know that he loves only you." Divya again said,"No, no,no, it is not possible.". "Why not? It is not only possible, it is a fact that I love you madly and cannot live without you". This was Rajat Mathur, addressing Divya. While passing by he had heard the conversation between the friends and stepped inside. Sonal quietly came out, leaving the two inside.

This is a fictional story written in response to Write Tribe prompt Wednesday 2014 --4.Sometimes the heart sees what the eyes cannot.

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

Recently a friend had written about the infirmatives of old age.Most of those who commented on that post had expressed that they are scared of old age After reading the views/comments of the people I decided to write my experience of old age. I had written a blog on this subject two years ago. I am updating the post written by me earlier.

Welcome old age or is it golden age!!The beauty of
childhood and the glory of youth has given way to quietitudeand tranquility of old
age.Looking backward I see not only a life of fulfilmentandsuccess but also
that of trials and tribulations. The arrival of old age has
unfolded new hopes and aspirations of a kind never experienced
before. My life is now more regulated.I find pleasure in things which I
never even noticed before. I have all the time in the world to
give fruition to my hobbies and desires which were lying beneath my
subconscious mind. I am now 78 years old and leading a happy life. The whole day I am busy. The day starts with reading a news paper. After breakfast I make phone calls to my friends and relatives. I dress up neatly. I have seen some old people sitting in their quilt the whole day. They do not bother to change their clothes. I sit with my lap top. I can sit the whole day in front of the lap top, without getting bored.I play games on 'mind jolt games' and 'scrabble' and have a blog. Occasionally I play cards with my husband.I do not sleep during day time.

I spoke to some oldies
to know their views about ageing.Majority of the people feel that they are now
relaxed and at peace with themselves. I remember Somerset Maugham's
words,'Old age has its pleasures,which though different,are not less than the
pleasures of youth'.It has been observed that as we grow older, we become
more tolerant;we acquire the ability to control our emotions much more
notably than when we were young.The transition from youth to old age is
much more smooth than we anticipate.A very unique feeling of
spiritual glory overtakes an individual.The vision of the God Almighty
which brings harmony and a sense of surrender is visible.
This is not to say that in a youth there are no such emotions
but with the passing of years this affinity with the Supreme
comes to the fore.There is no doubt that physical infirmities slowly make
their way and take charge of the human body.One has to be fortunate
to be spared of the onslaught of these irritants. Fading vision
, hearing capacity diminishing, and weakening of
joints are common ailments of old age.In olden days such problems might
have prevented people from performing their daily activities
but now prompt and effective medication is available at
affordable price and does not in any way become a hurdle in
performing daily chores. Now is the time to observe and enjoy the
wonders of nature, little birds twittering ,squirrels running at jet speed
and hordes of monkeys descending from no where and
disturbing the flora and fauna of the neighbourhood!! In
younger days where was the time to even notice such
captivating and bewitching sights.A saying by a famous poet' Sans eyes, sans
teeth, sans every thing', no longer holds true in the modern age. I have some medical problems. I am on wheel chair, but I never crib about this condition.With old age some physical ailments do make their way which affect every one, but at the same time medication is also available. We must have a strong will power to ignore the troubles and lead a normal life. My right hand fingers do not have the energy to write. Holding a pen or operating the key pad is difficult. I have found a method to deal with this problem. I use a ball pen to tick the alphabets on my key pad. I even wrote a whole book by this method. I use the computer to write my washer man's account on 'Excel' in my computer. There is no difficulty, which is insurmountable.

I am fond of music, so while on the computer I switch on old songs. Early morning, along with tea, I and my husband enjoy listening to devotional songs. I see movies on 'You Tube'. We have an home theatre. Children generally see new movies in that. If they watch old ones then I join them. Before I sleep at night, I read some book.

Most important factor at this age
is family bonding which tends to get strengthened.
In our youth we were so much engrossed in our profession that
we could hardly pamper and cuddle our children. We were
more concerned about teaching them good manners
and disciplining them. Now when we are old we are more
indulgent towards our grand children. Every move and every action of our grand
children thrills us .The roles are now reversed. In fact
they decide and dictate and we don't have the heart to
disappoint them!! To maintain harmony and peace we allow our
children to have their own space and privacy. They are where
we were once! They must have the liberty to manage their affairs.
It is unfortunate that in some households harmonious
relations are not maintained. On one side the aged parents feel
neglected and the other side the children treat
their own parents as a burden. Generally lack of
understanding and adjustment lead to such a situation. In fact both
sides need counseling. I must end with a happy note that old
age is melodious and not malicious.

Monday, 20 January 2014

Recently my children gifted me a Smart Phone. It came to me as a surprise. Initially it took me some time to get used to it. Even the touch screen was new to me. The moment I kept my finger on the screen, it seemed to run. I had to learn once again the phrase, 'slow and steady wins the race.' My grand son was my tutor. He explained the basic functions to me. It was amazing when I started fiddling with it. It was as if the whole world was in my hands. I can send and receive messages instantly. It is like a mini computer in my possession. Through Viber I can talk to my grand daughter in USA. every day. It also works as Skype so that I can 'meet' friends and relatives. I can access all the sites in a jiffi. The first thing on getting up I check my mail in my bed. The camera is awesome. Even the videos are superb. I can even play many games on my phone. I remember that when I was in class viii, we were given an essay titled 'India in the year 2000'. At that time I could not even dream of a device such as a smart phone.

The most attractive feature is 'whats app'. It is like a magical world, where I can experience every thing on earth that I dream of. Last week, I saw an article in 'The Week' magazine dated 24th November, 2013, about the latest inventions in the field of medical treatment. It appears to be a marvel of science. You have to download an 'app' on your smart phone, which will send you a message when it is time to take your medicine. Many times we forget to take our medicines on time. This 'app' will come as a reminder. It will enable you to make a virtual visit to your Doctor. All your data about your health can be stored by your Doctor.He can warn you about your loosing/gaining weight. This 'app' also acts like a handbook for the Doctor. He can know about his patients health any where, at at any time. A well known hospital in Delhi send alerts about glucose tests on the mobile.It has a 24x7 service, gives great satisfaction to the users. Another hospital has an 'app' called Connecting Rhythm which connects patients to abnormalities of rhythm and advises on ECG. The article gives information about one more hospital which has changed the experience of the patients. They allot a unique identification number connected to the Aadhar Card. With this number the patient can get treatment in any branch of the hospital in the country. Patients can now make a virtual visit to their doctor through smart mobile phone. Through Apps patients and hospitals can browse on health relating subjects.

All this sounds so informative. I will download this 'app' with the help of my doctor on my smart phone very soon. I am so happy that I possess a smart phone which is really 'smart'.

Sunday, 19 January 2014

It was Sunday morning.Annie got up with a start. It was 9'0 clock and she had to reach the airport to receive her hubby,who was coming home after two months. She had to prepare lunch before leaving. She rushed to the bakery, across the road. Suddenly she saw her son standing near a steel drum. He was in his night dress. She was surprised and asked,"Sonny Baba,why did you come here behind me? What are you doing there?" The child replied innocently, ''Mom I came to escort you. I am looking for chocolates". Annie was dumbfounded.

Saturday, 18 January 2014

Mona, an eight year old girl was the apple of her papa's eyes. She was the only child of Mr. and Mrs.Kapur. They loved their cute daughter. Mr. Kapur was too lenient towards the girl. Children are very smart. They know very well who will fulfil all their demands. Mona also knew, to whom she should ask for her favorite toys, books, and dolls. Her mother always argued with her husband that he was spoiling the child by being too indulgent. Mr. Kapur always had the the same comment,"Don't worry. She is a small child. She will be alright when she grows up."Mrs. Kapur was left cribbing. Not that she did not love the child. Her only concern was that Mona should not grow up as a spoilt girl. Mona was invited by her friend,Sona, for her birthday party. She told her mother that she would wear the white dress, which she called,'a fairy dress'. She told her mom that she wanted sandals to match the dress. In the evening, when her mom was leaving she also wanted to go with her. Her mother told her that she had lot of shopping to do, so she should remain at home. As was her nature, the girl started throwing tantrums. Her mother told her sternly that she will not take her. She said that she knew her size of sandals and would bring them for her. Mrs. Kapur asked the maid to look after Mona and left. She bought a pair of sandals for the child. When Mona saw the sandals she protested that the sandals were not pretty and did not match the dress. Mrs. Kapur tried her best to convince the child that white sandals of her size were not available. The sandals were matching with the embroidery. Mona raised a hell!n When her father came home, he asked her why was she crying.Mona knew her Papa's weakness. He could not see her crying. He took the child in his arms and told her that they would purchase new sandals the next day. The girl kept quiet. Next morning when the parents woke, they saw the empty box of the sandals lying in the balcony. They asked the maid to look for the sandals. After a while the maid took them back to the balcony. Mona, in her obstinacy had thrown the sandals in a lake behind their house. One sandal was in the lake and the other one was in the dust bin. The father realised that too much pampering and indulgence can prove to be dangerous.This is a fiction written in response to Write Tribe Picture Prompt,....Wednesday 2014 # 3

Suman and Rakesh were dating for two years. Whenever Suman raised the topic of marriage, Rakesh squirmed.Finally her parents announced that a boy was coming to see her. She entered the room listlessly. To her utter surprise she saw Rakesh .Little did she know that her father and Rakesh's father had made this plan.

Tuesday, 14 January 2014

The incident narrated here is not an imagination or a piece of fiction. It actually happened in our house during Diwali days. We were scared and horrified at that point of time. But when we think of it or narrate it , it sounds to be funny and hilarious.

It was a day before Diwali. We slept after a hectic day. In the morning at 50'clock when my husband got up, he got a shock and called me. I started screaming
at the pitch of my voice after I witnessed the scene. The grill
and wire mesh were cut. The whole room was littered with covers of
chocolates, biscuits, cakes and skins of fruits. On the sofa
we found broken pieces of biscuits, dry fruits and sweets. Obviously we had a visit by strangers in the night,who could not open any door,decided to have a party.

Monday, 13 January 2014

Today is the festival of Lohri. This festival is celebrated through out North India. This is a festival of good will, gaiety and glamour. There are several myths associated with the festival. It is mainly the harvest festival. It is believed that after the crops are harvested all the people assemble and celebrate by dancing and singing . A bonfire is lit and til(sesame) and moongphali(peanuts) are offered to God in thanks for the good harvest.Bhangra and Gidda dances are performed in gay abundance.

There is a popular legend of Dulla Bhatti Wala. According to a folk lore Dulla was a way side robber. He used to rob the rich and gave all the wealth to poor people. He also helped poor girls to get married and gave them good dowry. He is likened to Robin Hood.Lohri is celebrated in thanks giving to Dulla. In the morning children go from house to house, collecting money to light the bonfire. they sing a song in praise of Dulla, which goes as " Sundar munderiye, ho, Tera kaun vichara,ho, Dulla Bhatti wala, ho.......Lohri de bhai lohri de, ho" The word 'ho' is recited in a chorus People give them money or eatables .In the evening the elders in the family give money to the youngsters, who recite ,Lohri do,bhai, lohri do'. Every body eats dry fruits, nuts and sweet in front of the holy fire. and thank God .

This day is believed to be the shortest day of the year. They say that from this day on ward cold winter starts withdrawing. The festival is celebrated with great pomp and show in families in which a marriage or child birth has taken place during the year.

The next day after Lohri is Makar Sankrati, the beginning of the new year, This day signifies the arrival of the new year. This day is celebrated as Pongal, in Tamilnad, and Bihu in Assam.All these festivals convey the message of brotherhood and oneness.It is with a thankful prayer for a spirit of well being and bountiful life for humanity.Happy Lohri to all.

In our life we come across moments when we face many humorous situations which become memorable. Such moments provide some spice in our life. Life without humour will be dull, drab and dreary. If we don’t have some humour every
day in our life, then it becomes a lot more difficult to get through the
day – stresses become more stressful, hardships more difficult to
overcome, and grief more difficult to bear. Some times it happens that in a particular situation we may be embarrassed but with the passage of time ,when we think of those situations, they seem to be funny. The old saying 'humor is the spice of life' is true. I am reminded of some humorous situations that we experienced in our day to day life. Once we went for a party and came home when it was past midnight. The house was locked before we left. After reaching home my husband took the key to open the main door. Lo!! the door refused to open. My son joking said that papa must be sleepy and must be applying the wrong key. He also tried , but the door also seemed to be stubborn and refused to oblige. We pushed and patted the door but failed. Now the situation became serious! What to do, how to go inside,were the questions which started troubling us. It was past midnight. It was bad manners to knock friends or relatives at that unearthly hour. There was no other alternative,except to spend the night in the car. At that hour we were feeling very upset.In the morning, a carpenter was called.The door lock had jammed. We thanked God that we could enter our own house.We were very much disturbed on that day, but now when we think of that day, we are amused. Sometimes a little knowledge of a language is not only dangerous but also a reason for laughter. The incident that I am reminded of happened some days after our marriage( My husband is a Keralite and at that time had very poor knowledge of Hindi.Now he is an expert in speaking the language) Both of us went to a shoe shop. After the shoes were bought, my dear husband, trying to flaunt his knowledge of Hindi, asked the shopkeeper, 'ek spare chashma milega?' (Can we get a spare spectacles) I could not control my laughter. The shopkeeper also started laughing. Poor husband! He was shocked. He did not realise that shoe lace is called 'tasma' and not 'chasma'. I am smiling even now as I am writing this incident. A similar sort of funny situation occurred with my son. He has only got a working knowledge of Malayalam.His marriage was performed at Guruvayur temple in Kerala. After the rituals were over, the Priest told the couple 'thozhu''. My son had a blank expression. The priest repeated the word again, but with no reaction from the groom. My daughter-in-law saved the situation. She whispered in my son's ear, 'pray'.How funny!

Recently my Dil went to Kerala with her brother. On the return journey, when they reached Cochin airport, the official who was on duty checked their tickets and started laughing. People all around wondered why the official was laughing . After ten minutes he controlled himself and said "Sorry madam, you are twenty four hours late". My Dil was under the impression that they were returning on that particular date. Neither she nor her brother had checked the tickets. There was no other alternative except to buy fresh tickets. (They were lucky they got fresh tickets.) Ha,ha ha,ha. I was studying in M.A.. A friend of mine borrowed a book from me and said that she would return the book next day. She said that she was not coming to the college next day and she would send it back through her brother. The next day I looked for her brother, but could not find him. A friend of mine ,who was with me pointed towards a group of boys and said,"There he is". I went and asked whether he had brought my book. He looked lost and asked,"Which book?' I further questioned,"Your sister did not give you my book?" The reply that he gave made look very foolish and embarrassed.He said,"I don't have a sister. Will you mind being my sister?" I just said sorry and went back to my class, where I found the boy waiting for me.I cannot help laughing when I remember that day. Every one comes across some hilarious and funny situations. Have you faced one which you would like to share?pics courtesy google

Thursday, 9 January 2014

My father was posted in Dehra Dun. I had passed my B.A. examination and took admission in DAV College in B.ED. It was a big class of about eighty students. I was friendly with five girls. We never spoke to other students in the class. There was a student who was in late forties. Every one in the class respected her. She stayed quite close to our house and liked me very much. After B.ED I took admission in M.A. (English).It was a coincidence that that lady's daughter was also in my class. We were only four girls in the class. All the four of us were very friendly with each other. After finishing MA, I came to Delhi and took up a job. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxTime passed. I got married and had two children. The son grew up to became a Chartered Accountant and the daughter became a Doctor. A very close friend of my son,who studied with him from his school days is an Architect. His wife is also an Architect. I wrote a book about my experiences in my professional and personal life. I gave a copy to my son's friend.After some days his wife told me that she has relatives in Dehra Dun. She read my book and knew that I had studied in DAV College in Dehra Dun. She told me that her Aunt was also a student of the same college After talking in detail I knew that this was my friend in M.A. and her mother was my classmate,.I was thrilled to know about my friend and her mother. Recently this lady came to Delhi and stayed with her niece. We spoke to each other on the phone after a lapse of fifty years. I asked about her mother. She told me that her mother is very old. After going back to Dehra Dun, she would tell her mother about me, Just imagine It's a small world.I am looking forward to meet her in person very shortly.Written in response to Write Tribe Prompt # 2. It's a small world.

Sunday, 5 January 2014

We were three sisters.I am the eldest. Three of us were very friendly. Never did we imagine that the cruel hands of fate will snatch away the middle one from us. The youngest is eight years younger to me. I treat her like my daughter. My children address her as 'Didi' instead of aunty. The second one, my little sister was dear to me. There was not a single day when we did not talk on the phone. We discussed every thing on earth. Four years ago ,she left for her heavenly abode. I miss you my little sister.

Thursday, 2 January 2014

It has been a long time that nothing has emerged from my kitchen diary. Christmas and New Year is the time that every body likes to have baked items. I bake cake very often because my grand children love to have cake. Even their friends love to have my type of cakes. Whenever children go out for picnics or have a class party the girls are assigned Chocolate Cake. For Christmas I generally make rum cake. The cakes prepared by me are egg less, and without any butter. So in a way, they can be termed as 'diet cakes'. I do not use cream. Cream cakes are heavy on the stomach.Chocolate Cake:-Ingredients 1. All purpose flour(maida) 1 cup2. Refined cooking oil 3/4 cup.3.Curds 3/4 cup4.Sugar 1/2 cup (If you want it sweeter, you can use 3/4 cup)5.Baking powder 1 teaspoon full6.Baking soda 1/2 teaspoon.7. Drinking chocolate or chocolate sauce 1/2 cup.8.Vanilla essence 1/4 teaspoon9.Milk. It should be added if the batter is too thick. If you are using chocolate sauce, milk will not be required, otherwise you may need 4 or 5 table spoons of milk Method of preparation1.Pre heat the oven at 180 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.2. Sieve the maida,baking powder and baking soda very well.3. Put all the ingredients in a mixer cum grinder, till the batter becomes fluffy. (about 8 to 10mts)4. Grease a cake tin.5. Add the batter.6.Adjust the oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.7. Check with a tooth pick. If it comes out dry, the cake is done, other wise keep it for another 5 minutes.8. Turn it upside down, when it is cool.Note;1. If you wish to make orange cake,add 1/2 cup of orange juice instead of chocolate. 2. If you wish to make rum cake i Roughly grind nuts like almonds,cashew, and walnut. ii.Slice finely 3or4 dates. iii. A few raisins iv. 1/4 cup of Rum. v.Soak the nuts in Rum a day earlier, before you propose to bake the cake. vi. Method of preparation is the same. Soaked nuts should be added in the batter, just before the batter is kept in the oven.To give a glossy look to the cake take 4 teaspoons of coco powder and and about 10 spoonful of milk. Mix the coco powder in the milk and boil on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes and pour it upon the cake evenly. Keep the cake in the frig for 10 mts. This will give a glossy look to the cake.